


Have You Got Any Soul?

by midnightdrives



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: College AU, F/M, Record store au, amy is an audiophile, basically an episode of gilmore girls, jake works at a record store, lots of pop culture reference
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 23:34:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11069406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightdrives/pseuds/midnightdrives
Summary: "So I simply point to where I keep the soul I have, right by the exit, just next to the blues." - Nick Hornby, High FidelityAmy Santiago, a broke college student and audiophile, visits the record store often to see her crush, Jake Peralta.





	Have You Got Any Soul?

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based on my life and my crush on a guy who also works at a record store. It sucks.

Amy waited three weeks until she finally visited the record store Kylie told her all about.

 

She didn’t exactly waited on purpose; she just spent the past three weeks figuring out how to be a full-time arts history student by day and clerk in the Fine Arts Library by night. Though during her time at the library, she switched from reading the books that were there and watching music videos on her phone.

 

The record store, according to Kylie, had such a wide variety of records than the one Amy used to go to back home. Kylie also added that the guys who worked there were very attractive, and Amy’s response to that was to roll her eyes.

 

 _“There’s this one guy in particular,”_ Kylie said while they were watching _The IT Crowd_ on Netflix one Friday night. _“He’s really funny. He plays a lot of rock music while working, and some bands that you like.”_

 

_“Does he listen to Metallica?”_

 

_“I think so. He played like one or two songs.”_

 

_“Nope,” Amy said immediately. “Can’t do it. Can’t befriend a metalhead.”_

 

Amy was only joking, of course. She didn’t care what they guy listened to, as long as it wasn’t Twenty One Pilots.

 

So on a calm Saturday evening, after being paid more than $90 that Thursday, Amy decided to take a bus to the record store.

 

The bus was nearly empty save for a few college students and herself. With her hands clasped together on her lap, Amy only allowed her feet to subtly tap to the beat of “Madonna of the Wasps” by Robyn Hitchcock.

 

She didn’t want to break out dancing—which Kylie often described as a ‘wannabe Stevie Nicks’—like she usually did when alone and listening to Robyn Hitchcock. She didn’t need people to know how weird she was before they even spoke to her. Though she had no doubt people could already tell by her long, black floral skirt, which reached just above her ankles, paired with a plain white shirt.

 

It just reminded her how her mother always disapproved of her “strange” way of dressing. Of course Amy never listened to her mother’s advice on fashion. Though she sometimes wonder if it is because of that that no one ever flirts with her.

 

Amy shrugged, completely forgetting that she wasn’t by herself in the bus and that the other passengers might see and find the action weird.

She likes the way she dresses. She’s not going to change that to get more dates.

 

After five stops, Amy finally got off the bus and made her way to the record store. From the outside, it looked very small and smushed between two restaurants. On the windows, there were posters of rock bands, old and new. She was able to recognize a few such as Beach House, Sufjan Stevens, and Joy Division.

 

Above the door was a black sign with ‘Ninety-Ninth Records’ written in white letters.

 

Keeping her headphones on, listening to nothing else but Robyn Hitchcock at a low volume, Amy pulled the poster-covered door open and entered the store.

 

Robyn Hitchcock was immediately forgotten when she noted the music that was currently playing on full blast.

 

“The Avalanches!” Amy said rather loudly, catching the attention of the boy sitting behind the counter playing on his phone.

 

“What?”

 

Amy pointed a finger upward, indicating to the song that was playing. “This is ‘Since I Left You’ by The Avalanches, isn’t it?”

 

The boy smiled, and for some reason Amy’s heart began to race. He had a boyish charm that Amy seemed to have a weakness for. His brown hair was short and curly, his nose was rather long but Amy didn’t think it hindered his appeal. There were laugh lines when he smiled and his light brown eyes seemed to twinkle.

 

Sure, he didn’t look like Damon Albarn or a young Scott Walker, but she had to admit that he was very cute.

 

 _Damn_ , she thought, _Kylie was right. That binch_.

 

“Yeah, I just put it on.” He lifted the phone that was in his handing, showing the cable that must be connecting the it to the sound system. “I have the entire album on here. I listen to it occasionally whenever I want to listen to something other than The Stone Roses.”

 

 _UGH_ , Amy wanted to yell. _He listens to The Stone Roses, too!_

 

“Have you listened to their latest album?” Amy asked, walking towards the counter. “I was obsessed with it when it came out, but all my other friends thought it sounded weird.

 

“Yeah, I guess it’s an acquired taste.”

 

“Are you playing it on shuffle?”

 

“Nope,” he replied, shaking his head. “Playing it in full. I think that’s the appropriate way to listen to you.”

 

Amy nodded enthusiastically. “I agree. A lot of the songs kind of blend together, kind of takes away from the experience if you don’t listen to it full out.”

 

The boy held his hand out to her. “I’m Jake.”

 

She took his hand and gave it a shake. “Amy.”

 

“You have a firm handshake.”

 

Amy smiled widely. “I took a seminar.”

 

Jake lifted an eyebrow. “Where?”

 

 _Oh dear_ , Amy thought. _Now he knows I’m weird. You shouldn’t have mentioned the seminar. Stupid Amy!_

 

Instead of giving Jake an answer, she gave him a smile and slowly walked away from the register so she could explore the store. She was too busy focusing on Jake to notice the record store.

 

 _This place may as well be the Tardis_ , Amy thought. _It’s bigger in the inside_.

 

Vinyl records were displayed on shelves around the store’s walls. At the back, she could see that there was a bookshelf filled with DVDs. She walked towards the “rock/indie” section with no idea of what she was looking for. She just knew she wanted a new vinyl to listen to.

 

She was amazed by the wide selection of vinyls the store had. It surpassed the inventory of her hometown’s record store.

 

Amy skimmed through the vinyls, searching for familiar covers or names. She looked through Ryan Adams, Alt-J, Band of Horses, Cheap Girls, The Cure (she’ll go back to them if she can’t find anything else), before she stopped at one that got her attention.

 

 _#1 Record_ by Big Star.

 

She rushed over to the register, interrupting Jake from doing whatever he was doing on his phone.

 

“You already picked a record?” He chuckled, and Amy was praying to whatever higher being was up there that she wasn’t blushing.

“Well I saw it and knew I needed it.” She mentally congratulated herself for managing to speak coherently.

 

Jake took the vinyl from her and inspected it. “Oh this is a classic. Hardly anyone talks about Big Star.”

 

“It’s my favorite,” Amy said. “I never get tired of ‘Thirteen.’”

 

They say goodbye once Amy pays for the record, and she leaves the store giggling and hating herself.

 

-

 

The college radio station is always lowly lit, with the lights mostly coming from the lamps and the computer screens. There was a little plush Totoro next to the computer and whole bunch of posters on the walls of musicians like Jimi Hendrix and bands like The Smiths.

 

Amy sat in a chair behind Kylie, who was busy with her dream pop/shoe gaze show. She was currently blasting “When The Sun Hits” by Slowdive.

 

“The last thing I need right now is a crush.”

 

“Yeah, I feel that,” Kylie said, turning her chair away from the mixer and facing Amy. She had her long blonde hair down, falling just past her waist. She wore a white t-shirt that said, “I’m Baroque, I’ll pay you Bach,” which she paired green plaid pants and brown oxford shoes.

 

“When in the history was having a crush a good thing?” Amy continued. “All my past crushes either never liked me back or already had a girlfriend.”

 

“Crushes aren’t fun,” Kylie agreed. “Maybe making a new playlist will make you feel better.”

 

“I’ve already started.”

 

“Yeah? What’s the theme?”

 

“Night tunes.”

 

“Oh, that’s a good one,” Kylie said with a smile. “Very different from sunny tunes.”

 

“It’s just a lot of what you play here.”

 

“So Galaxie 500? Washed Out? Wild Nothing?”

 

Amy nodded. “Yup, yup, yup. Even got Cocteau Twins in there.”

 

Kylie nodded and turn to look at the time. “I got one song left before Andrew comes in a does his surf rock show.”

 

Amy made a face.

 

Kylie laughed. “Yeah, I know. Do you want to go get lunch then?”

 

“Yes, please!” Amy placed a hand to her stomach. “I’m really in the mood for orange chicken.”

 

* * *

 

Songs mentioned:

[ The Meeting Place ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6d6HL_TGZs) by XTC

[ Madonna of the Wasps ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqNVyl5z9CI) by Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians

[ Since I Left You ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3YR-RKrL1g) by The Avalanches

[Thirteen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pte3Jg-2Ax4) by Big Star

[When The Sun Hits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN-KHZ9NDVA) by Slowdive

 

If you're curious, Night Tunes is an actual playlist I made. Here's a link if you're interested: spotify:user:1233378580:playlist:5UGr1aLew6ExAXjpAnZC79 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like this story! Please leave a comment and don't be mean.


End file.
